County elected officials prepare for legal collision

Posted by Bruce Dammeier45sc on December 17, 2015

"An unprecedented legal spectacle will play out Friday in Thurston County Superior Court, as Pierce County’s elected leaders clash in an argument drawing attention from law junkies throughout the state.

The case has everything: arguments over conflicts of interest, separation of powers, legal misconduct and public disclosure. As many as eight lawyers could appear, all claiming to represent Pierce County in some fashion, and contending that their rivals in court lack the authority to claim the same.

At its heart, the argument involves six text messages written by Prosecutor Mark Lindquist four years ago on his personal phone. Since 2011, sheriff’s deputy Glenda Nissen has been trying to obtain those messages, believing they will prove Lindquist retaliated against her because she criticized him politically."